Remembering 1916 with a vision for a just and compassionate society Statement from the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference “Churches have a particular responsibility to bring a message of hope to those who are suffering and those who are feeling disconnected from society … In 2016 we need to hear a renewed commitment to peace articulated […]

Before you start looking for the gift receipts to exchange unwanted presents from yesterday, why not put them to really good use, by supporting one of Dublin’s busiest charities? Staff at St. Mary’s Pro Cathedral in Dublin are urging people not to return unwanted Christmas gifts to the shops this week – but to donate […]

“To respond to God’s mercy in the coming Jubilee Year: consider receiving the Sacrament of Confession, help others through ‘works of mercy’, and turn to Jesus in prayer” – Archbishop Eamon Martin I wish you a “Mercy” Christmas! Twelve days ago I had the joy of opening two ‘Holy Doors’ for the Jubilee Year of […]

“Let light shine out of darkness” (2. Cor. 4.) Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, I send greetings to each and every one of you, the faithful in the Diocese of Ossory and beyond, and I wish you every blessing of the Lord for the Holy Season of Christmas. Sometimes it can be difficult to […]

Christmas calls us once again to focus on the spring of hope, when the birth of a child, named Jesus, assures us of the triumph of the love of God over human sinfulness and the healing power of God over the brokenness of our lives. Nature itself reflects this victory. In these cold, dark days […]

“Then the angel left her”. (Luke 1:38) I have chosen these few words of scripture from the final sentence of Luke’s annunciation narrative. What unfolds after these few verses is a journey made across the hills of Judea as Mary set out to visit her cousin Elizabeth. Perhaps the shepherds who would later come to […]

Self-Emptying At the heart of the mystery celebrated at Christmas is the astonishing fact that God himself, in his final attempt to show how much he loved us, sent his only Son to share our humanity. Saint Paul describes it as self-emptying. Instead of holding on to the privileges due to God, this vulnerable baby […]

“No ear may hear his coming; but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.” (Hymn, Phillips Brooks, 1835-93) My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Christmas, the annual celebration of the perilous journey to Bethlehem, […]

2015 was a significant year for the diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnois with the rededication of Saint Mel’s Cathedral. At the ceremony in May 2015 Bishop Colm expressed his hope that the cathedral will be “a place where all will feel welcome, especially those who come with heavy hearts and those searching for answers to […]

A Holy Season has come upon us again and “God’s grace has been revealed” (Tit. 2:11). We celebrate the coming of God’s Son into our world as a Saviour. His birth has changed the course of human history. A new Star led the Wise Men from the East to Jerusalem and then on to Bethlehem, […]